The Anatomy of Genres Review

I'm writing what is very nearly the finished draft of Bondage of Magics right now, while at the same time reading "The Anatomy of Genres" by John Truby.

I highly recommend this book, whether you're a writer or not, and even whether you're a reader or not. It defines every genre by its philosophy, and philosophy is something we all need in such a broken-down, explained format. Barnes and Noble has it; that's where I got my copy.

I've realized that every plot of every story has a very simple center. I kind of already knew that every story is the same if you abstract it enough, which is not profound, but what is profound is the layer of abstraction right above it: there are roughly fourteen different philosophies that a story can have at its core. These fourteen philosophies are what we recognize as "genres", such as comedy, horror, tragedy, coming-of-age, etc. (I'm telling you, read this book.)

For example, the philosophy of a Myth story is that we can, through great work and/or self-improvement, achieve a form of immortality (by being remembered forever). The philosophy of a Horror story is about some of the deepest, hardest, most disturbing questions about the human psyche and survival.

Take my current book, for example. The point is about the main character regaining control of their life and the ability to protect those around of them. More specifically, there are two themes:

1. "Trauma does not make people stronger."

   1. Challenges make them stronger.

   2. Trauma must be overcome.

2. "Mercy to the dangerous is cruelty to the vulnerable."

   1. Including when you, the person giving mercy, are the vulnerable.

This places the book squarely inside three genres: fantasy, action, and crime. Their genre philosophies on the world are thus, according to the book:

1. Fantasy: "Discover the magic within yourself to turn life itself into an artform."

2. Action: "90% of all success is taking action."

3. Crime: "Protect the weak, and bring the guilty to justice."

At first it surprised me that my book seems to fall into the crime category, but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes, and the more acquainted you become with the main villain, a man named Abadir vlii Eerind, the more I think you'll agree.

Anyway, I'm not kidding. Go and read this book, if you are one or more of the following:

1. A writer

2. A reader

3. A human being (got you)